1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium having computer executable-instructions for the method. For example, the present invention may generally relate to a process for displaying a processing progress of a printer performed by an information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a user operates an information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer, to print a document created using the information processing apparatus, the user may receive print status information through a print dialog screen of an application.
An existing process using a GDI (graphic device interface) print path in the operating system (OS) Windows® is available from Microsoft corporation. In this process, an application displays a “Print” dialog box so as to inform a user that printing is in progress. The information displayed for the user includes:
(a) a file name (application-specific format),
(b) a target printer name, and
(b) the number of pages.
In addition, print data is spooled by a system spooler of the OS. When the user selects a target printer, a spool list is displayed by the system spooler. Thus, the user can monitor the printing status. The information sent from the system spooler includes:
(a) a job name (assigned by the application),
(b) a status, and
(c) the number of pages.
In this system, the print status is typically displayed before and after a print driver is called. In addition, since a printer driver in the GDI print path, such as a graphics driver for generating print data, is sequentially called by the GDI, it can be difficult for the user to recognize the print status.
However, this process has been changed by a printing system of the operating system Windows Vista®, also available from Microsoft corporation. This system has been expanded so that an XPS (XML paper specification) print path is supported in addition to the previous GDI print path. The operations of a system spooler for the GDI print path and the XPS print path are virtually the same as the previously existing operation of Windows®. However, the XPS print path also uses an XPS spool file. For data that is to be printed, this XPS format is maintained from submission performed by an application to the process of a print driver or a printer. The XPS format is an open electronic document format used for creating a cross platform document. The XPS format also serves as a spool file format. A file of an XPS format includes not only a document body but also print setting information called “PrintTicket”. The PrintTicket information allows print settings, such as a print layout, to be maintained and cross referenced. For example, a banner setting “JobPrimaryBannerSheet” includes the following three parameters: “Standard” (a banner is attached by a printer), “Custom” (a page specified by an application functions as a banner), and “None” (no banner is attached). Thus, an application can relatively easily specify the setting, and other software can relatively easily recognize the setting. In addition, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-38956, in a graphics filter pipeline of a printer driver in an XPS print path, the print setting for the document can be referred to or manipulated. On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-195970 proposes a technique to display data in a format different from an ordinary file list by an information processing apparatus so that the data is focused on a particular file property.
In the existing methods, it can be difficult to display a print status for each of the documents being printed. Accordingly, further improvement is sought.
An application manages document files having a format specific to the application, and therefore, the lower-layer printing process may not be capable of referring to the information about the document files. In addition, although the user may be able to recognize that the printing process is proceeding, the user may not be able to obtain detailed information as to how many pages of the document have been printed.
Furthermore, the application (before spooling) and the system spooler (after spooling) may refer to different print information.
Still furthermore, when the layout or the number of pages is changed before and after spooling, such information typically cannot be readily shared. That is, it may be difficult for the application and the system spooler to share any of counting information in a rendering process, print settings of the application, and setting instructions from the application to one or more devices.